Defendant Denies Killing Teenager by Pushing Her Off Bridge

May 25, 2026 | News On Japan

HOKKAIDO, May 25, 2026 - A woman accused of killing a high school girl by causing her to fall from a bridge in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, denied having intended to kill the victim as her trial opened at the Asahikawa District Court on May 25th.

Riko Uchida, 23, who has been indicted on charges including murder, is believed to have entered the courthouse while avoiding an area where members of the media had gathered.

More than 300 people formed a long line from the morning of May 25th seeking one of the 23 available seats in the courtroom for the first hearing.

According to the indictment and other documents, Uchida, an unemployed resident of Asahikawa, is accused of confining a 17-year-old high school girl in the city's Kamuikotan area in 2024, forcing her to remove her clothes and causing her to fall from a bridge to her death.

Uchida has been charged with indecent assault resulting in death and unlawful confinement.

At the opening hearing on May 25th, Uchida denied the murder charge and other parts of the indictment, telling the court: "I did not intend to kill her, and I did not cause her to fall from the bridge."

The trial will continue from May 26th, with a ruling scheduled to be handed down on June 22nd.

Source: FNN

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.